BBC viewers voiced widespread complaints during England's second World Cup group match against Ghana on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, citing buffering issues on iPlayer and a perceived irrelevant interview with British rapper Stormzy.
Technical Issues Plague iPlayer Coverage
Gabby Logan hosted the BBC's live coverage from the Salford studio, joined by pundits Joe Hart, Wayne Rooney, and Micah Richards, with commentary from Guy Mowbray and Alan Shearer. However, many fans experienced persistent buffering on BBC iPlayer, with one viewer tweeting: "England v Ghana on BBC iPlayer is buffering like crazy. It's not just iPlayer, games buffer on ITVX too. Happens on the big fixtures, obvs." Another added: "@BBCiPlayer not fit for purpose. Give me @itvx every time." A third user posted a screenshot of the app failing to load, writing: "@BBC what's going on."
Stormzy Interview Sparks Backlash
Viewers also criticized the inclusion of a live interview with Stormzy ahead of the match. One fan said: "Dear BBC Sport. Football. Fans. Don't. Care. About. Celebrities. At. The. World. Cup. Stop it." Another wrote: "@BBCSport wasting licence payers cash yet again with a pointless interview with #Stormzy! Pathetic & nothing to do with football!" Additional complaints labeled the BBC's World Cup coverage as "poor" and "beyond woeful," with one viewer stating: "Congrats to ITV and the BBC for making the World Cup unwatchable."
Some Praise for Presenters
Despite the criticism, several viewers commended the BBC's coverage, particularly lead presenters Gabby Logan and Kelly Cates. One viewer noted: "BBC coverage soo much better. Great female presenters with Gabby and Kelly. Miles better than ITV." Another agreed: "Yeah the female presenters are excellent." England's match against Ghana marked only the second meeting between the two sides, the first being a 1-1 draw at Wembley in March 2011, when Asamoah Gyan scored an injury-time equalizer.
Previous Disruptions
The complaints follow earlier disruptions to BBC's World Cup coverage. On Monday, June 22, Gabby Logan made a politics announcement during a live broadcast, and coverage was later pulled off air due to a delay in the France vs. Iraq match caused by a severe thunderstorm warning in Philadelphia. FIFA issued a statement regarding the weather threat.
